Tales Of Our Heritage

Vada vilakku is a large suspension lamp hung in Sri Mahadeva Temple in Ettumanoor, in the district of Kottayam in Kerala. It is believed that the lamp has been burning for the last 400 years and the story begins with a craftsman visiting the temple, bringing along a lamp, sometime around 720 Kollam Era or roughly 16th century.
The metalsmith wants to gift the lamp to the temple. However, the priests did not accept it under the pretext that the lamp would need three litres of oil to burn and that the temple would not be able to afford such expenses. The metalsmith remarks that perhaps this particular lamp would need no fuel to burn. Meanwhile, a stranger rushes out of the shrine, takes the lamp and places it in the belikalpura (a rectangular corridor around the inner sanctum). Just then, the sky thunders and lightning provides the spark to the lamp. And ever since, the lamp has been burning.

It is stories like this that traverse the cultural leitmotif of our collective history that author Indu Chinta brings out in her book, Iconography of Deepam: Traditional Lamps of Kerala. Outlining the functional significance, craftsmanship and the contribution of oil lamps in keeping ancient values alive, the author delves deep into the vast repertoire of traditional lamps.

The 36-year-old, who always enjoyed writing and literature, recalls, “In school, I used to look forward to English classes. My mother was an English professor, so I would invariably go back home and discuss Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth, Hemingway, prose, poetry and any essays that I would have to write. That was such a blessing.”

Having worked with environmental policy think-tanks in Delhi, she moved to IIT Madras in 2017. It was there, that she started exploring the idea of culture and writing. Working on the culture of Kerala, she realized that the iconography of lamps in the region is unique. “Nowhere have I seen the tradition of creating and using oil lamps as well preserved as it is in Kerala. From the smallest village shrine in Pulpally, Wayanad to the Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple in Thiruvananthapuram, this is a tradition that has persisted well across the state, in spite of threats from electricity, kerosene and candles. The tradition of deeparadhana is simply soul-stirring. So, at once, you see both the beauty and complexity of faith through the lamp,” she states.

All these factors inspired the author and her meticulously researched book took her to the lamp-making centers in the district of Kannur, Kerala that laid the foundation, and understanding for her writing. She built upon it with several interviews with Vedic scholars, artists, priests, metalsmiths, temple administrators, street vendors and photography (she shot all the images for the book well into her pregnancy!).

Indu encountered many local tales that became part of folklore over the years. She recounts one such story, “The Valmiki Ashram in Pulpally, in the district of Wayanad is a small village shrine where goddess Sita is believed to have given birth to Luv and Kusa. It looks like a modest thatched hut, which is completely open on all sides. There is a tradition for devotees to donate lamps. Although there is no security, there is never a theft.”

Inspite of oil lamps being a ubiquitous ritual accessory, the author encountered difficulty in locating any published material available on the subject. Another challenge was that the people who really have authentic knowledge/information were far and few.

The book is a treasure trove of details be it in explaning the significance of different forms of lamps (from stationary to suspension and portable), the different motifs used and the time honoured traditions in crafting these artistic wonders.

Lamps share cultural knowledge and memory, both tangible and intangible, spanning across generations. Indu refers to them as ‘vehicles of memory’ and adds, “Their historical richness is undeniable, right from creating them to employing them for worship. Interestingly, lamp-making is a matter of inheritance, and owning them too, is, in most homes and families, a matter of inheritance.”